i just purchased a 2003 12m cabrinha black tip kite along with the harness and bar and lines on craigslist for 120$ was this a good deal? i weigh 130 lbs and i was wondering if it would be to strong for me too handle?

Also i was wondering if even though the kite is in amazing condition, the technology is too old to be an effective safe kite.

it is possible to learn on a c kite but it is difficult. how much have you flown other kites "like a trainer"?A 12 is a little better then my first kite it was a 16m c. you can do some learning in supper light winds but is still crazy. i don't know what safety your bar has so i cant say too much. no mater what as long as thay are in good shape you have lines and leaders and de-power parts not to mention a harness. i know i didn't learn almost anything on my c-kite i got a 7m foil and flew a ton but it was a finicky kite and had trubbles. since i have gotten newer foils and bow/sle kites and must say that are a lot nicer to learn on. I liked foils for practice as i live in idaho and learned mostly on grass (wich is far from the best or safest) see if there is anyone in your area who can help you out. you might find the kite you have is less then ideal in which case keep the lines and bar sell the kite and look for a 2007 or newer high depower easy relaunch bow/SLE. or a 2005 small 4-7m foil like the ozone frenzy or accesses. I say it only because i know from hard experience that freindly kites and some help or lessons form a safe kiteboarder is better then crap gear and learning on your own. it might cost a little but I wasted at least a year trying to learn it would have been worth the extra money. plus you can get a good kite without bar or lines for around 200$ from time to time. look for something smaller also. best of luck

I'm just curious why you didn't ask these questions before you bought the kite. Maybe you did on but on another forum?

Not a great deal but not that bad either. I would say do your home work and then do some more home work, hook up with some local kiters and stick with 8-12kts for the first dozen sessions or so.Should be able to come out alive and well if you're really careful.

I'm 140lbs and learned on a 05 12m 5line C-kite on my own and obviously I've lived to tell about it. It was a long and bumpy road.

thanks for the replys...i did my first test flight yesterday in really light winds and i was still being pulled along the ground at times...i have used trainers before so controlling the kite wasnt to difficult but im afraid that the power may be to much for me

Your in the land forum so my guess is your going to use this on land? At 130# a 12M is way to big except in the lightest of winds. Like others have said you can learn on older kites but the safetys werent the best. Just be extra carefull. Your light and can get over powered quickly.

tbiglione wrote:thanks for the replys...i did my first test flight yesterday in really light winds and i was still being pulled along the ground at times...i have used trainers before so controlling the kite wasnt to difficult but im afraid that the power may be to much for me

tbiglione wrote:i just purchased a 2003 12m cabrinha black tip kite along with the harness and bar and lines on craigslist for 120$ was this a good deal? i weigh 130 lbs and i was wondering if it would be to strong for me too handle?

Also i was wondering if even though the kite is in amazing condition, the technology is too old to be an effective safe kite.

thanks for the help!

that sounds like a fine kite for you when you are an advanced rider. I think you can already tell that the wind range for a kite like that is very narrow for a beginner.

go buy a new kite, keep this one for later when you get better. with a new kite you'll be able to kite nearly every day and progress very rapidly because you'll be so much safer thanks to the great depower of modern kites.

If you stick with your current kite, expect it to take months or years longer to get to the next level, after all you can't level up if you cant go out most days because theres either too much wind or too little wind.

snobdr wrote:Your in the land forum so my guess is your going to use this on land? At 130# a 12M is way to big except in the lightest of winds. Like others have said you can learn on older kites but the safetys werent the best. Just be extra carefull. Your light and can get over powered quickly.

Dude,as snobdr said this kite is to big for you, besides the Blacktip is a high performance kite and it will spank you, a 150.00 bargain may cost you a 100 times that in med bills, sorry to be so blunt but as another poster said save the kite for when you can handle it, until then get a user friendly kite in the 6,7,8 meter range that will advance your skills at a fast pace and keep you safe .